12-year-olds with smartphones more likely to report eating disorder symptoms by 14, study finds
A study finds a higher risk of eating-disorder symptoms among teens who owned smartphones at age 12, including binge eating and weight-related behaviors.
Children who own a smartphone at age 12 may be more likely to experience eating-disorder symptoms by age 14, according to a new study of nearly 9,000 U.S. adolescents.
Researchers found that smartphone ownership at age 12 was associated with a higher likelihood of several eating-disorder symptoms two years later, including binge eating, weight-control behaviors and linking self-worth to body weight.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which follows children across the United States. About 70% of the 8,957 adolescents in the study owned a smartphone at age 12.
Researchers found that those who owned smartphones at 12 had a higher risk of reporting eating-disorder symptoms at 14. The risk was higher for binge-eating symptoms, inappropriate behaviors used to prevent weight gain, weight-related self-worth and any eating-disorder symptom.
Smartphone Ownership Was Linked to Several Symptoms
The researchers found that smartphone ownership at age 12 was associated with a higher risk of several eating-disorder symptoms by age 14.
Compared with adolescents who did not own a smartphone at age 12, those who did had a 67% higher relative risk of reporting binge-eating symptoms. They also had a 50% higher risk of reporting inappropriate behaviors to prevent weight gain and more than twice the risk of tying their self-worth to their weight.
Overall, smartphone ownership at age 12 was associated with a 49% higher risk of reporting at least one eating-disorder symptom at age 14, according to the study.
What Counts as an Eating-Disorder Symptom?
The study looked at several types of symptoms, including binge eating, behaviors used to prevent weight gain, concerns about gaining weight and placing greater importance on weight when judging self-worth.
Binge eating refers to episodes in which a person eats an unusually large amount of food and feels a loss of control over eating. The researchers assessed these symptoms rather than determining whether participants had a clinically diagnosed eating disorder.
Why Could Smartphones Be Linked to These Symptoms?
One possible explanation is that smartphones give young people greater access to digital content, including material focused on appearance, body image, weight and dieting.
However, the study did not measure exactly what content participants viewed or how they used their smartphones. Researchers therefore could not determine whether particular types of online content were responsible for the association between smartphone ownership and eating-disorder symptoms.
The Study Does Not Prove Smartphones Cause Eating Disorders
The researchers cautioned that the findings show an association rather than a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Because the study was observational, other factors could have contributed to the results, and reverse causation could not be completely ruled out.
The researchers also noted that simply knowing whether a child owned a smartphone does not capture how often the device was used or what the child did on it.
